Piracy king arrested after 12 years on the run
20 July 2012 4:28 PM | Updated 4:45 PM
(Photo / File)
One of Singapore’s most wanted 59 year-old-Zeng Jian Cheng has been sentenced to six years in jail after 12 years on the run, according to a report by Shin Min Daily.
Zeng who was initially arrested in 1993 faces 20 charges linked to his large scale piracy activities.
Zeng’s criminal operation was the largest the country had seen.
He got into the business in 1993 and from 1998 his operation expanded to Pakistan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Overseas clients placed weekly orders with him through mobile phone and in Singapore, the sales network of the group was far-reaching with physical stores set up at crowed shopping malls around the country.
As the mastermind behind the ring, he earned up to $30,000 each month and had 15 runners under him.
Due to the high profit margin of his business, the prosecution has initially requested that an addition $240,000 fine be added to the sentence. However Zeng claims he was unable to pay the fine.
Having been on the run for 12 years, the judge believes that he does not have the means to pay such a hefty fine and decided not to implement it.
Zeng who jumped bail twice in 1993 and 1998 was initially arrested in 1993, but jumped bail before being arrested at Nim Road in 1998 during an island-wide raid. After he jumped bail again, he escaped to Malaysia, entering the country illegally and hid there for 12 years.
He was eventually arrested and extradited to be charged in Singapore on 27 July 2011.
While on the run, Zeng asked his ex-wife, Tan Miao Zhu, to join him. He has two children aged 19 and 21 with Ms Tan.
His current wife is facing financial difficulty ever since his arrest and has had to provide for three children aged two, four and seven.
